Day 11: 30 Days of Selfies: Bubbles

No matter how uncomfortable we are in our own skins, we eventually fall into some sort of ease, a rhythm, a way of being. We create a bubble where we can exist, if not thrive. We go about our days and we believe that everything will be okay. We live with blinders because life in the bubble is better, easier, and safer than opening our eyes to what lies outside that protective barrier. The thing about bubbles is that they eventually pop with a smacking of our lips.

Life’s like that. It shocks us when we don’t expect it. It reminds us that being complacent and comfortable is not the natural human state of being. Maybe it should be, but it just isn’t. I set out to write about positive things, hopeful things, and the ways in which I have learned how important resilience and grace are in the every day. Today it is hard to find those reserves that make me the strong woman that I am but I want you to know that I still believe bubbles have a place in the world.

Many friends have asked for encouragement, advice, and love as they decide whether to stay or go with Trump looming as President. My suggestion: do not give this one man so much power over your life – that power is not his alone to wield. Don’t let him pop your bubbles. Yes, things are changing, but the troubles that are surfacing… the racism, the intolerance, the treatment of minority groups – none of these things are new. They are simply bubbles rising to the surface, and they remind us not to be complacent. It’s hard to remember to be thankful for that reminder that we still, all of us, have work to do.

No matter where in the world you go, you will encounter struggle. There will be people who do not think like you. There will be those who will want to hurt you with words or deeds, simply because you exist in the manner that you do. It doesn’t matter if you are white, black, Democratic, Republican, gay, transgender or any of the other labels people place on themselves that say “other” to anyone who doesn’t hold that label. You cannot escape that bubble, but you can pop it. Sometimes we should pop our bubbles. We have to act as living teachers if we ever hope to pop anyone else’s illusions and that means staying, being present.

You can’t do this, if you are running. In fact, if you watch a child blow bubbles you will see that when they run, the bubbles follow them. They glisten in the sun, they dance along behind the laughter, and then the bubbles eventually rest and pop having run their course. This is a simple joy and a simple pleasure – nothing lasts forever, and the only permanent thing is change. Life’s like that.

If you decide to leave your state because of how other’s voted, I hope you’ll consider moving to mine. Not because I agree with everyone here in Michigan, in fact in my community I am a bit of an outsider and have always lived to the beat of my own drum. I’d like you to move here so I can be your friend, teach you the value of building a place you love, that brings you peace, and ways to be resilient. I want to help you learn to be comfortable in your own skin and live with those around you with grace and positivity even if you share little common ground. Sometimes it’s smart to hide in a bubble. Other times you miss out on a lot when you do.

If you are one of my friends and family who plan to leave the country, I will miss you. I’m not going anywhere but here because I value what it has taken me to get where I am and I am not willing to let that go and let someone else decide where I should be. I hope you are happy and safe. This political change will likely affect us all in some pretty spectacularly uncool ways. However, I’m setting my lips in a smile, picking my jaw up off the floor and continue to embrace and create moments of joy, laughter, and love. I refuse to embrace the suck when I can always blow new life into where I am even when there is great resistance. We may not be able to find ease, but I truly believe that we can all find a rhythm, a way of being together. Don’t burst my bubble.